SALES UP 2.6%, WHILE GUN CRIMES DOWN 2.4%. . .

New statistics show that firearm and ammunition sales are on the rise, coinciding with steady downward trends in gun crime, suicide and accident rates in the U.S. The National Shooting Sports Foundation has released U.S. Dept. of the Treasury figures indicating that 2005 retail sales of firearms and ammunition rose 2.6 percent for a total volume of $2.1 billion.

For the year, approximately 4.7 million new guns were sold, bringing the estimated number of citizen-owned firearms in the U.S. to more than 290 million. The number of American households with at least one firearm is now estimated at nearly 110 million.

(I added this from another article; Nationally, more than 13,000 guns are reported lost or stolen annually and according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), those guns are a major source for illegal trafficking.)

Of the various firearm types, the sharpest gains were seen in retail sales of handguns (pistols and revolvers). Handgun sales rose 3 percent while long-gun (rifle and shotgun) sales rose 1.8 percent. Ammunition sales rose 3.5 percent.

Combined 2005 sales of firearms and ammunition generated $224.3 million in excise taxes earmarked for wildlife and habitat conservation projects, through the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act. Since inception, the act has raised more than $5 billion for conservation.

As NSSF-member companies and conservationists laud the latest sales numbers, their applause coincides with more good news about American society in general. According to figures from government and independent sources, firearm crimes, suicides and accidental fatalities, including accidents among youth, are all trending downward.